Welcome to our Home – St. Laurence Church Elgin, IL

St. Laurence Church Mission Statement –

Jesus sent His Apostles to preach the Good News of the Gospel to the whole world.

As members of St. Laurence Catholic Church, we are beneficiaries of that mission being carried out generation after generation. We believe we are also called to take an active role in this same mission for the benefit of our families, friends and local community.

Our rich Catholic faith provides the foundation for what we believe, how we pray and worship and the love and compassion we are to show others. We strive to allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us and guide us. We draw strength from God’s Word and the Sacraments. We seek to build a true Christian community through our words, actions and example. As members of St. Laurence we have been called to live as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and help build His Kingdom here on Earth.

Welcome to St. Laurence Parish

We welcome you to our website. As you navigate around the site, we hope you will find the information you need about our parish. If we can be of service to you, please send us a message or call the parish office.

History of the Parish

The Rockford Diocese purchased the property on the northeast and southeast corners of Jewett and Standish streets for construction of the St. Laurence church and parish. The boundaries for the parish were the Fox River to the East, Plato Center to the West, halfway to Dundee on the North and halfway to St. Charles on the south. The first mass of the church was celebrated in the club rooms of Saint Joseph’s on October 21, 1928 by Father Laurence Prendergast. The construction of the new church continued and the first mass was celebrated at our current location on September 8, 1929-in the auditorium. It wasn’t until November 24, 1929 that Saint Laurence Church officially opened with Forty Hours Devotion. The dedication occurred May 18, 1930.

The church underwent a renovation on the interior beginning in 1971 under the guidance of Father Philip O’Neil. The church was closed for about 5 weeks with mass being celebrated in the auditorium. The re-dedication took place on November 28, 1971.

In 2003 the parish undertook a major renovation on the building to add a narthax, elevator and sacristy. The renovation also enlarged the balcony and returned the church to a more traditional look. It is how the church stands today.